Ignite
by The Flame and Hawk's Eye
Summary: "Wait! You didn't tell me he was a firefighter," Rebecca chided as she turned to Jean and she gestured to Roy. "You know about her aversion to fire." A modern AU two-shot showing that, despite everything, Roy and Riza have destinies forged by flame.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** _This is based on a post I made on Tumblr a few months ago about a modern firefighter AU. I just finished and posted it there and figured that I'd post it here as well. I think I'll be making this a two-shot in the future. But for now enjoy!_

* * *

After giving the watch on his wrist another glance to confirm that he was still late, Roy Mustang hurriedly pushed open the door to the restaurant and stepped inside. Taking a deep breath, his taste buds tingled with the fresh tasting sensation of soot and smoke. Damn, he thought he had cleaned up well enough in the showers, but it seemed that he still couldn't escape his previous assignment; because when duty called, he had to answer.

Narrowing his eyes to see better in the dimly lit restaurant, he looked around to try and find—

There.

"Hey," he called as he jogged over to the couple standing just past the hostess stand.

"Yo," Jean Havoc greeted him as he raised his closed hand and bumped fists with Roy, "Got your text, but you didn't miss much. They said the table will be ready in about ten minutes or so." When the dark-haired woman beside him cleared her throat, he jumped slightly and laughed. "And before I forget, this is my girlfriend, Rebecca."

Smiling toward her, Roy extended his hand and said, "It's a pleasure. I'm Roy."

When she took his hand she wrinkled her nose and murmured, "Nice to meet you too, Roy."

Catching on, he withdrew his hand and said, "Sorry about that. I had to work overtime and didn't have time to scrub off the smell of smoke."

"Oh," she asked as she raised a brow with suspicion. Her eyes darted over to Havoc, she said, "I didn't realize you were a human ashtray like Jean."

"Me? Oh, no I'm not. In fact, I've been trying to get Jean to kick the habit since I met him," he said as he shot his friend a look. "Actually," he continued as he turned back to her, "I just got off fire duty. We had a last minute call and I had to run out with the brigade—"

"Wait! You didn't tell me he was a _firefighter_ ," Rebecca chided as she turned to Jean and she gestured to Roy. "You know about her aversion to fire."

"I'm sorry, Becks," Jean apologized as he rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes wild with confusion, "I didn't know that it would pertain to people as well."

Blatantly confused, Roy began to say, "I'm sorry, but is something wro-"

"It's nothing against you," she began before correcting herself as she turned toward him, "Well, okay, it is, but not against _you_ personally-"

Before she could go on with her tirade, he heard a soft voice speak the dark-haired woman's name. Turning toward it, he saw a blonde-haired woman approaching them, adorned with a deep purple, high-collared dress and long matching gloves and shawl. Stopping beside Rebecca and placing a hand on her arm to announce her presence, the blonde-woman's dark brown eyes flickered over to Roy for a second before they went back to her friend. "Sorry I'm late," she apologized. "The traffic driving over the bridge was a nightmare tonight."

"That's fine sweetie," Rebecca replied as she waved off her friend's tardiness. "You didn't miss too much."

"I'm glad," her friend said with a smile as she next focused on Jean, giving him a friendly nod. Then, once again turning her focus to Roy, she removed her hand from her Rebecca's shoulder and extended it toward him.

As he reached forward to take her hand in his and shake it, she broke the ice first by saying, "It's nice to meet you; I'm Riza Hawkeye."

* * *

" _Hawkeye?"_

" _Yeah," Heymans Breda called over the sound of the fire engine's sirens as they flew around a tight corner and began to race down a dirt road. "You know him?"_

" _I guess you could say that," Roy answered loudly as he saw a dim glow come into sight in the distance. "He was my General Chem professor back when I took my prerequisite courses at the university; even did some research in his lab. Eccentric and a bit different, but he was the smartest man I ever knew."_

 _Smartest_ and _messiest, he added to himself. He had heard once that the amount of clutter accumulated in one's residence was correlated to intelligence. If that was the case, then the piles of papers and textbooks in the man's old office were enough to convince Roy that the man was among the most intelligent minds on the planet._

 _And if the man's home was anything like his office back at the university, then the reason for the rapid spread of the blaze was obvious._

" _The latest census says that two people live there, so we gotta keep an eye out for both of 'em," Breda called as he held up two fingers._

" _I vaguely remember him mentioning a daughter once. It think her name was 'Riza' or something along those lines," Roy noted as a bright light suddenly pulled his attention away from his friend and toward its source. As the engine came to a stop, he hurriedly unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the door, leaping out of the vehicle to witness the massive blaze before them._

 _The home was completely engulfed in fire; the flames spilling from the windows and doors angrily licking at the air as they escaped. Despite being a reasonable distance from the blaze, he was already beginning to feel the heat. This had to be the one of the hottest blazes he had encountered in his short time on the squad. And judging by the heat, it was beginning to look like it would be a recovery…_

 _But just as he was about to receive his orders from their chief, he paused. He could have sworn that he just heard—_

 _There it was again. This time he was certain. He_ had _heard a voice._

 _Without another moment's hesitation he pulled his gas mask down over his nose and mouth and took off toward the front door. Using his shoulder, he slammed into it and threw it open, only to be met by a room consumed by flames. Now he understood how and why the fire had spread so quickly. He knew that Professor Hawkeye's office was cluttered and unorganized, and believed that it had transcended to his home… but this…_ This _was on a completely different scale._

 _Burning debris was everywhere, thousands upon thousands of papers and books piled to the ceiling and scattered about, all of them completely engulfed in flames. If he were to press on, he would have to be certain that he had heard a voice, because with the intensity of the heat and the amount of smoke billowing around it would be next to impossible to comb the entire home before it collapsed on itself._

" _Hello," he yelled as he took a step forward and toward the littered living room. "Is anyone there?" Roy paused for a moment and strained to listen over the roar of the flames and the moans of the increasingly stressed house._

 _Just as he was about to turn back and scan the room behind him, he heard a small and weak, "Help…"_

 _Snapping his head around toward the sound, he began to quickly trudge through the scattered debris, kicking the burning research papers and books out of his way as he went. When he had made it halfway across the living room, his foot caught on something and he stumbled. When he whirled around to see what he had stumbled over, he felt his heart jump and catch in his throat._

 _Lying half-hidden and motionlessly beneath the smoldering papers was a young woman, her torso twisted around so that she was face up; eyes closed and her mouth hanging open as she gasped for air._

 _Collapsing onto his knees and reaching beneath her with one hand so that he could lift her, Roy removed his face mask and yelled, "Miss, are you—" The moment his gloved hand touched her, her eyes flew open and she cried out, writhing and squirming in an attempt to get away from him. This action, however, appeared to harm her rather than help her as she yelped again._

 _But when she saw who he was, she immediately stopped, staring up at him through half-lidded eyes. Licking her lips, she reached up and grasped his sleeve, then tried to mouth something to him before erupting into a fit of coughing._

" _I'm going to get you out of here, okay," he yelled over the roar of the flames through her her violent coughs and gags. "Just stay with me—"_

" _Roy!"_

 _Jolting upright, he snapped his head around to see Breda standing on the edge of the living room, motioning wildly toward him._

 _When his colleague saw that he had gained his attention, he yelled, "Roy, the house is about to come down. You need to get out of here!"_

" _Alright," he called as he turned back to the young woman. "I'm sorry I have to do this, but we need to get out of here_ now _." Trying his best to be as gentle as possible, he slipped his hands beneath her and hoisted her up and into his arms, eliciting a sharp gasp from her. As he apologized once more, he turned around to follow after Breda, who had reached the front entrance by that point, when a loud and familiar groan caught his attention. Stopping in his tracks, he looked up to see that the ceiling had begun to bow and crumble as it lost its integrity._

 _Jumping backwards and whirling around on his heels, Roy ducked out of the room and into the burning kitchen as everything that had resided on the second floor collapsed onto the first._

 _Knowing what would immediately follow, Roy desperately looked back and forth through the billowing smoke and flames, trying to locate an alternate exit…_

 _There._

 _Seeing a sliding glass door on the opposite side of the room, Roy grasped the young woman tighter to himself as he began to charge toward it, blocking out the sounds of the roof moaning and groaning as it too began to give from the amount of stress. A moment before he reached the door, he dipped his shoulder and then slammed into it, the glass shattering upon impact._

 _When his boot met a patch of dirt, he pulled her close to himself and stumbled away from the burning home, forcing himself to his knees a few hundred feet away. Immediately laying her down on the grass, he yanked his mask off of his face and shrugged his oxygen tank off of his back._

" _Now breathe," he begged her as he slipped his oxygen mask over her nose and mouth. When she complied and began to suck in all the air she could muster, he allowed himself to let go a sigh of relief. "Just keep breathing, alright Riza…"_

 _In between gasps, she managed to mouth something to him. Leaning over, he heard her whisper, "… my name…"_

 _Understanding her question, he admitted, "I was a student of your father's years ago. He mentioned your name once or twice and I guess it kind of stuck in my mind."_

 _Taking in another sharp gasp of air, she twitched her head in an attempt to nod and whispered, "Thank… sir."_

" _Roy… Roy Mustang," he offered as he shrugged off his jacket and began to lay it over her._

"… _Like… the horse…?"_

" _That's right," he replied. "But enough questions for now, let's focus on our breathing while—" A sharp breath from the young woman cut him off as she writhed beneath the jacket he had just laid over top her. Panicking, he lifted the jacket off of her at the same moment the house chose to come down, sending flames and embers into the night air, and illuminating both of them._

 _That's when he noticed the burns and their extent. It had been difficult to assess in the burning home since his number one priority had been getting her out. He had seen the redness, seen the cracked tissue, but hadn't realized the magnitude of the damage done to her skin._

 _This was more than just a quick fix with oxygen and some ointments. No… This would quickly turn into a medical emergency._

" _Over there!"_

 _Jerking his head up, he saw two emergency specialists sprinting toward them. Waving and motioning for them to turn back, he yelled, "Get the gurney! We need to move this woman, now!"_

 _When they had turned back he felt a tug on his pants. Looking down at her, he saw that she had begun to try and say something again; though this time her words were lost, her head lolling back and forth as she tried to keep herself awake._

" _Just hang on," he quietly ordered as he readjusted the oxygen mask on her face, "Stay with me…"_

* * *

Realizing that he had been lost deep in thought regarding the memory, he shook his head slightly in an attempt to rid himself of it and tightening his grip on her hand.

He should have realized it before, probably _would_ have realized it had he not been utterly stunned by her beauty, especially now that he was aware of the uneven roughness of her hand; the skin unusually calloused for someone as young as she was. And now, as he eyed her and took in her appearance, he began to realize that she skin on her neck and even her cheeks looked patchy and colored in a variety of hues beneath the foundation she was wearing.

All classic signs of someone that had survived being burned…

"And you are…?"

Pulled from his thoughts once again, he realized a second time that he had dove headfirst into his mind again. "Sorry about that," he apologized as he smiled warmly, "My name's Roy… Uh, Roy Mustang."

He felt her grip on his hand loosen as her eyes widened at the announcement of his full name. But instead of letting go completely, she maintained a feeble grasp on him, her eyes seemed to light up with recognition as she asked, "Mustang… Like the horse?"


	2. Chapter 2

"I just can't get over it," Rebecca exclaimed as she wound her arm around Jean's and leaned into him as the two couples exited the restaurant. "Seriously, what are the chances that you two would meet up like this again?"

"Well," Jean began before either Riza or Roy could answer, "When you have a matchmaker like me-" A firm jab to the ribs cut him off. When he looked down at Rebecca, she gave him a playful smile and shook her head.

Roy laughed. "Honestly, the whole thing really is crazy." Casting a sideways glance toward Riza, who was walking next to him, he added, "I still can't believe you remembered the horse association with my name."

Riza shrugged and shot him a small smile. "Honestly, that was one of the clearest memories I had from that night. That and you finding me…" She trailed off as her face fell.

Before Roy could say something to her, Rebecca gasped. Jerking his head around, he saw that they had turned the corner and found themselves by the pier where the city's boardwalk summer carnival was taking place. Seemingly having missed her friend's sudden change in mood, Rebecca pointed excitedly toward it and exclaimed, "I completely forgot about this! Do you guys want to go and walk through?"

Still put off by Riza's sudden change in mood, Roy was about to object when he was once again cut off. Taking a step forward, Riza smiled toward her friend and said, "That would be fun." Turning toward Roy, she asked, "Would you like to check it out?"

Roy opened his mouth to respond, and then promptly shut it, unsure of how to answer. On one hand, the thought of spending more time with Riza and learning more about him made his heart flutter. But on the other hand, the fact that his comment brought her back to that night caused him to reconsider. Because if his presence was enough to remember it, then the very last thing he wanted to do was force her to relive it over and over again every time she saw him.

"I," he began, "I mean we could—"

"Aw, c'mon Roy," Jean exclaimed as he draped his arm around his friend's shoulders. "Just a little walk-through won't hurt."

He pursed his lips, unsure of how to immediately respond. On one hand Riza seemed hesitant, but on the other she had changed her mind, seeming almost enthusiastic about attending. When his eyes wandered over to her, he saw that she still had that small, almost eager smile. Hoping that he was reading her signal correctly, Roy turned back to the pair and said, "Sure, why not."

Rebecca squealed with excitement and gripped Jean's arm tighter, dragging him toward the festival's entrance.

Roy hung back, wondering if Riza would say anything to him about her hesitance. Instead, however, she smiled, shrugged her shoulders and said, "Let's get going then."

* * *

"Do you guys want to buy tickets to any of the rides," Rebecca asked as she led them toward the ticket counter.

Riza paused and looked around at all of the attractions, then shook her head. "I have a feeling I'll lose my dinner if I did," she admitted. Turning toward Roy, she added, "If you'd like to go, though, I can wait."

"Nah," he replied with a shrug of his shoulders, "I'm in the same boat as you. I think I'd probably lose my dinner too."

Rebecca shrugged. "Suit yourselves. I think Jean and I are going to get some for the Cyclotron. And oh," she added as she pointed toward Riza's purse, "Keep your phone on high so we can text you once we get off, okay?"

"Alright," Riza replied as she pulled her phone out of her purse at switched the volume on before putting it back in.

Rebecca smiled. "Good. Now you two have fun, but not too much fun." As she was saying the latter part of that sentence, Roy couldn't help but notice that her eyes slid over to him, silently shooting him a small warning.

"We will," Riza assured her as she took a step forward and waved her friend off. "You two have fun. We'll see you in a while."

Stepping back, Rebecca gave them a wave and 'bye' as Jean followed suit, saying a quick 'later' before taking Rebecca's hand and leading her over to the line for the ticket booth.

"Shall we," Roy mused as he gestured toward the wooden path that led onto the boardwalk.

Giving him a small smile, Riza stepped past him and began to head into the crowded festival. Jogging after her, Roy slowed when he got to her, matcher his pace with hers. Suddenly, however, he found himself at a loss for words. It had been easy to carry a conversation at dinner with Jean and Rebecca there to fill in the gaps, but now that it was just the two of them, he wasn't exactly sure what to say. Talking about that night could prove disastrous and he, unfortunately, hadn't been able to get much in during dinner to actually find out more about her. As much as he wanted to get to know her, there was something in the back of his mind that nagged at him, reminding him that he was nothing more than a reminder of that night and that—

"You there, sir!"

Roy turned toward the voice, seeing that it was a carnival worker stationed in one of the game booths.

Seeing that he caught his attention, the man beckoned them forward. "How would you like to try and win a prize for your girl?"

"Ah," he stammered, thrown off by the man's comment. Had they really looked enough like a real couple? The thought caused his heart to leap in his chest, though he was quick to push the notion away.

From the moment he first saw her; not just that evening, but the fateful night of the fire as well. He knew there was something different about her. Something that enticed him and drove him to _want_ to learn more. But the fact that his very presence reminded her of that night every time she looked at him made him reconsider. Because really… Who would want to spend more time than necessary with a man that was present during one of the most horrific and life-changing days of their life…?

In retrospect, he should have made an excuse to leave when the festival had been suggested, because it was clear to him at first that she was hesitant to attend. But since he hadn't, he was almost confident that she felt obliged to continue with the date until its end.

Now that they were 'stuck' there, however, he supposed he could make the best of it… "Sure," he replied coolly as he gestured toward the booth and smiled at Riza, "Would you like to give it a try?"

"Oh," she said as she looked from him to the booth, trying to identify the game. After studying it for a few moments, she nodded thoughtfully and replied, "Sure. It looks like it could be fun."

"Alright," Roy replied as he sidestepped and motioned for her to go first, "Let's try it out then." When she walked past him, he followed on her heels, eventually stopping beside her in front of the booth.

"Excellent," the carnival worker exclaimed as he picked up pair of toy guns and set them on the counter, "Now here are the rules." Gesturing toward the targets that were situated behind him, he explained, "The object of this game is to use the ammo provided to completely shoot out the bull's-eye in the center.

"If all of the black in the center is gone by the time you run out of bullets, you win one of these," he added as he pointed toward one of the oversized teddy bears hanging from the roof of the tiny booth. "Any questions?"

Casting Riza a sideways glance, Roy asked, "You ready?" When she nodded, he teasingly said, "Now don't think I'm going to take it easy on you. I'll have you know I owned a grand total of one BB-gun when I was a kid."

"One," she echoed as she raised her brows with feigned astonishment, "Well, I don't know if I can beat that."

Relaxing slightly after she returned the banter, Roy picked up her gun and handed it to her, leaning over the counter and bracing himself against it. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her do the same.

"On the count of three," the worker muttered as he stepped out of their way. "One… Two… Three!"

At the sound of 'three,' both of them sprung into action and began firing their toy weapons at once, aiming for the marked centers of the pieces of papers that were their targets. Roy kept his finger on the trigger the entire time, pointing the barrel toward the center of the paper as he tried to eliminate its bull's eye.

Before long his weapon ceased fire, replacing the sound of artificial bullets being fired with harmless clicks, telling him that the toy gun was unloaded. Stepping back, he admired his handiwork. While most of the bull's eye was shot out, there were still bits of it present on the paper, telling him that his task hadn't been completed.

"We've got a winner!"

Turning toward Riza, he watched as the carnival worker gestured toward the various prizes that hung from the ceiling of his booth, citing that all of them were fair game for her. Roy watched as her eyes lit up, scanning over the stuffed toys amusedly as she tried to decide which one she liked best. After a few moments of thought, she at last pointed to a large black-and-white stuffed dog.

As the worker climbed up on his step stool to retrieve the prize, Roy stuck his hands in his pockets and grinned when she turned toward him. "Good game."

"Thank you," she replied with a smile. "I guess my years of shooting really paid off."

Roy raised his brows. "You never told me that."

With a small, albeit mischievous, smile, she said, "Well, you never asked."

"Touché," he replied as he watched her receive her prize. When she turned back toward him, he smiled again.

"What is it," she asked as she quirked a brow.

Roy shook his head. "It seems that you're full of surprises."

Riza smiled and it caused his heart to leap into his throat. "And I have a sneaking suspicion that you're full of surprises as well." Tucking the toy dog under her arm, she extended her hand again and said, "So let's start over again. My name's Riza."

Accepting the invitation, he took her hand in his and replied, "And my name's Roy."

* * *

With all thoughts of fire pushed away from the forefront of their minds, Roy found that the subtle tension that had been in the air around them lifted slightly. No longer was it hanging over their heads, silently driving them toward inevitably awkward pauses or breaks in conversation. Instead, Roy found that there was even more to her that he hadn't anticipated, ranging from her position as a paralegal at a local law firm to her favorite color blue, which incidentally happened to be his too.

So when there was a break, the silence that ensued no longer weighed on their shoulders. In fact, it was almost comfortable…

Leaning against the wood railing of the boardwalk, the two of them looked out over the beach and admired how the full moon's light touched and reflected off of the radiant white sand and waves as they crashed into the shore. Taking a deep breath of sea air, Roy closed his eyes and slowly exhaled, reveling in the fact that every ounce of his nerves were gone…

"It's interesting, isn't it?"

Roy opened his eyes and looked toward her again, seeing that she was still intently watching the ocean's waves, seemingly entranced by them. Before he could ask her what she meant, she turned toward them and elaborated, "I guess it's just funny how fate somehow brought us together again."

Relaxing again, Roy leaned against the railing again and said, "It really is."

"You know," she began, "I tried contacting your station again as a sort of 'thank you.' I even sent chocolates."

Roy furrowed his brows. "Well if we received them, I certainly never saw them."

She shrugged. "I figured as much. After all," she continued with a small smile, "I sent food to a station full of hungry firefighters. Something was bound to get lost in translation."

Roy couldn't help but chuckle, her words ringing true. "Unfortunately, I would have to confirm that. Most of the time when we get food as gifts, the card or inscription sent along with it will disappear." When she smiled, he added, "And it's funny you mention that, because I tried to contact you as well. Although the hospital I assumed you were staying at wouldn't confirm or deny whether or not you were a patient there. They said something about patient confidentiality at the time.

"Plus, I was afraid I would interfere with your recovery, so I let you be."

"I'm just surprised you even made an attempt," she admitted. "Especially since you and your men save so many lives. I figured I was just one in the bunch."

Roy was thankful that the darkness concealed most of his face because he could feel his cheeks and ears grow warm. "Well," he replied, "I'll be honest and say that I thought about you a lot. You were one of the first people I rescued. I was fresh out of the academy at that time."

She turned slightly to look at him out of her peripheral vision, her brows slightly raised. "They let you take such a high-risk task at such a young stage in your career? Even when they knew the house was going to come down?"

Roy pursed his lips together and moved his shoulders up and down slightly. "To be honest I did it without thinking. I heard your voice and I just acted." When her jaw dropped open, he shook his head. "I got a verbal lashing for my recklessness after that and since then I've learned to better assess the situation, though I'll never regret what I did."

Her brown eyes flickered back and forth, searching his expression. But if she was looking for something that indicated something other than what he had said, she would never find it because he meant every word.

Seemingly realizing that his, she relented and relaxed her shoulders. "Even though I don't think I can say it enough; I suppose all I _can_ say is thank you."

Roy smiled warmly and replied, "Seeing what you've been able to accomplish and do is thanks enough, Riza. Especially being able to see that under these circumstances…"

Before she could respond they heard a 'hey' behind them. Both turning to look over their shoulders at the same time, they saw Rebecca and Jean walking toward them, the former a little wobbly on her feet. When the two pairs met, Rebecca gripped her friend's shoulders and laughed, "Man, you missed out, Ri. My head is _still_ spinning!"

"I'm glad you had fun," Riza said as she guided her friend's hands off her shoulders and smiled at her.

As soon as the words left Riza's mouth, Rebecca's face fell and her cheeks puffed out. Alarmed, Riza took a step back as Rebecca straightened herself and puckered her lips. Pressing a finger to her lips, she hesitated until the spell passed and then nodded quickly and meekly said, "Maybe a little too much fun."

"Alright," Jean said as he stepped forward and draped his jacket over his shoulders. "Maybe it's time we get going."

Rebecca nodded feverishly and began to step away from them with Jean in tow. When Riza took a step forward, she paused and looked back at Roy.

Trying to hide his disappointment, he took a step forward and said, "Yeah, we'd better get her home."

Nodding, Riza put a hand on her friend's shoulder and began to help guide her toward the front of the park. Though just before she turned away, Roy couldn't help but notice the subtle, disheartened look that had flashed across her face.

* * *

After a hurried walk back to the restaurant's parking lot without incident, Jean and Riza helped Rebecca into her boyfriend's car and got her settled in for a quick ride home. Roy maintained a reasonable distance, watching as Rebecca took the opportunity to chatter in Riza's ear. When she pulled away, Riza smiled lightly and shook her head before patting her on the shoulder and closing the car door.

When he had exchanged a few words with Riza, Jean smiled and nodded before giving her a quick hug. Turning away, he began to jog around his car and raised a hand to Roy. "I'll text you later, 'kay?"

Roy dipped his head and lifted his hand as well. "I'll talk to you later. You two have a good night."

"We'll try," Jean replied with a weary smile before ducking into his car.

Both he and Riza stepped back, watching as Jean started the vehicle and backed out, and then tore out of the parking lot, leaving the two of them alone.

When the squealing of his tires died down, Roy chuckled and shook his head.

Riza followed suit and smiled. "She can be quite the handful sometimes."

"She seems like the type," he replied playfully as he cast her a sideways glance. When she laughed in response and then quieted, he turned toward her and dipped his head. "I had a wonderful time tonight, Riza."

Looking back up at him, she replied, "I did too."

Before he allowed himself to get too distracted by the way the moon's light reflected off her hair or how radiant her eyes appeared, he shoved his hands into his pockets and said, "Especially with the way things turned out. It was great seeing you again."

"It was," she admitted with a nod. "It's funny how fate works."

"It is," he replied a little too quickly, inviting the awkward and tense air to once again settle between them, and once again causing his thoughts to swirl. He could tell by her expression that she was waiting for _some_ sort of closure; something that would give them a place to stand. But where that place would be, however, was difficult to decipher. Because on one hand he knew that reintroducing themselves was just a bandage that helped salvage the night when they had been left to their own devices. But on the other hand… There was something inside of him that refused to accept that this would be the end. Not after they had been brought back together again.

So when she began to make a move toward her car, he stuttered, "Riza, wait." When she stopped and turned toward him, he sighed and continued, "I know that my face might be a constant reminder of what happened that night, so I will understand if you don't want to…" He trailed off, to which she raised her brows. He opened his mouth and suddenly his throat felt dry, and his chest began to ache as his heart rate spiked.

Swallowing the lump in his throat and wetting his mouth again, he managed to continue and utter, "But if you want to… Just know that I would love to get to know you more and maybe even go out sometime." With the words now off his tongue, he relaxed slightly, though his heart still continued to pound in his chest. Clamping his jaw shut, he waited for her inevitable answer…

A smile crossing her face, she took a step toward him and placed a hand on his shoulder. Standing slightly on her tiptoes, she gently pecked her lips against his cheek. Pulling away, she said, "I would love to, Roy."

Now trying to hide his transition from anxious to ecstatic, he grinned and said, "How about tomorrow morning? Back here on the boardwalk for breakfast at ten?"

"That sounds perfect," she said as her hand slid off his shoulder and her smile broadened. "I'll see you tomorrow then, Mr. Mustang."

* * *

 **A/N:** _So sorry for the wait guys! I was motivated then not motivated and really struggled with this chapter for whatever reason! But now it's done and so is this little two-shot series! I hope you all enjoyed! Thank you again for the reviews, favorites, and follows! They mean the world to me!_


End file.
